Harmony
by Crimson Elemental Alchemist
Summary: White skin, dark clothing, and violet eyes. Even the name: Harmony. It all points to the label "homunculus" and yet she has no symbol marking her as such. Just what exactly is this intelligent, gentle girl with the name of Harmony?
1. Lost at Sea

-1_Crimson: **sighs** I'm so wiped out . . . -.-;; Wrath, would you please do the disclaimer?_

_Wrath: Alright. **to readers** Crimson Elemental Alchemist does not own _FullMetal Alchemist_, but she does own the OC Harmoy. There you go, Crimson. Hey, you okay? **shakes a dozing Crimson**_

_Envy: And to think she was on a sugar high just an hour ago. **sweatdrops**_

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**Chapter One–**

**Lost at Sea**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"I can't believe that I'm stranded . . . ." a lone girl muttered to herself, violet eyes half-closed in boredom. Her right gloved hand cupped her smooth chin as she looked out over the vast expanse of blue water. The teenager let out an exasperated sigh, swinging her arms out behind her to support her as she leaned back to watch the clouds pass over her lonely rock in the middle of the sea. "I probably should have figured the layout of the country better," she commented wryly to herself, closing her dried-out eyes and resigning to let the sun heat up her white skin. A faint grimace graced the girl's lips as her normally-cool blood actually rose to an average human's body temperature.

"Yo!" a shout from somewhere to her right interrupted her whirling thoughts, and the girl looked over her shoulder to see a ship coming near . . . .

* * *

"You're on your way to the capital, huh?" the captain of the fishing boat asked, a questioning look on his face.

"Yep," the girl verified, taking a tentative sip of her steaming hot tea. She made sure not to reveal her displeasure at the extremely-hot beverage.

"How did you happen to get stranded on that boulder?" The burly man gave her a hearty laugh followed by a wide grin. "Stuck in the middle of the sea! My, aren't you a lucky lass that we happened by!" he laughed, turning from her to drag something down from a high shelf. The girl merely returned his words with a shy smile; somewhat grateful that he didn't pressure her to answer his question. The next thing she knew, a bundle of clothes dropped in her lap. She looked up at the smiling captain in question.

"Your clothing seems to be a bit tattered and worn," he explained, winking at her. "These should hold ya over until you can buy clothes more to your liking." He watched her finger the generous gift delicately for a moment before opening his mouth to speak once more.

"Land at the starboard bow! Captain, we're at the Capital of Amestris!" someone shouted without the cabin, cutting the captain off before he could voice his question.

"Excuse me, miss," the man said politely, bowing to the young woman who remained quietly in her seat. The grinning captain then strode out the door to give orders and watch over the docking process of his ship.

The girl left in the cabin returned her attention to the clothing in her lap. Her pale hands ran over the black cloth of a form-fitting tank top. She let out a deep sigh and, after making sure not a single soul was looking into the windowless cabin, changed swiftly. A pair of holey jeans hit the wall and slid to the wooden planks followed soon after by a thinned and stretched-out black T-shirt as the young woman discarded her former outfit. She did, however, decide not to part with her precious bra and underwear.

As a crimson blush darkened her smooth ivory cheeks, the girl pulled on the baggy white pants and black tank top. After she was dressed, her violet eyes traveled down to her new clothes. A disappointed frown tugged at the corners of her lips. She let out a grunt of uncharacteristic frustration.

"Oh well. It doesn't have to fit me _too_ well," she chastised herself as she pulled her black hair into a messy half-ponytail, leaving a few silky locks out purposefully to frame her face. "But I _do_ like this shirt," she muttered out loud as she finished with her hair. The last piece of clothing still rested on the wooden chair she had sat on moments before. The young woman now picked it up and put it on; it was a black, leather coat. As she put it on, she noticed that the bottom of it reached her mid-calf. "Not bad," she said as she passed through the cabin door and into daylight.

The girl's eyes widened at the bustling city of Central that greeted them. Her knotting stomach warned her of the rapid build-up of nervous excitement within her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a male's deep voice issued from behind her. The girl twisted around only to see the captain grinning down at her.

"Yeah. It is," she replied, granting him a genuine smile. "I best get going, alright? Thanks for the lift and the clothes, Captain. I'll repay you someday!" She shouted in a sign of farewell as she disembarked the ship, waving a polite yet distant good-bye. The captain shouted a farewell in return at the retreating back of the mysterious woman. A few of his crew followed his lead as she weaved through the throng of people working at the docks.

"Hey, Captain?" some random crew member asked the muscled man who still waved at his unexpected passenger's departing form.

"Hm? Oh yes. What is it, Curdy?" the captain turned his attention to the scrawny man beside him, lowering his arm to his side.

"Did you find out who she was?" the man named "Curdy" asked, ignoring the fact that his captain had gotten his name wrong yet again.

"Eh? Oh no. I didn't, now that I think about it." He put a hand to his chin as he pondered the identity of that mysterious girl and her purpose out in the sea in the first place. "I wish I had got her name, at least . . . ."

_'Harmony . . .'_

The captain's head snapped up at the voice as its whisper echoed through the corridors of his thoughts. "What?" he whispered in response as the feminine sound faded away, eyes scanning the crowd below him, but the girl was nowhere to be seen and the voice did not return. "Harmony, huh?"

* * *

Down in the thinned-out crowd beyond the docks, the young woman with amethyst eyes and ebony hair halted suddenly and turned her head slightly so her violet gaze could glance back to the ship she had just vacated. "That's my name," she declared under her breath, closing her eyes and continuing onward toward what she guessed to be the heart of Central . . . .

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_Crimson: . . .**still asleep**_

_Wrath: She's still asleep. So I'll say it instead: Please Review._

_Envy: Yeah. Maybe it'll wake the lazy wench up. **gets attacked by killer pillows (they're the ones with the bricks and red eyes)**_

_Crimson: **turns in sleep** Mmm . . . author powers . . . ._

_Wrath & Envy: o.O_

_Wrath: She's not dreaming about you again, is she?_

_Envy: **sweatdrops**_


	2. Navigating Central

_Crimson: Okay I'll just say it . . . .**Slightly weaving**_

_Envy: **sighs** Crimson does not own _FullMetal Alchemist_, but she does own Harmony. **steadies Crimson with one hand** Start eating already!!_

_Wrath: I _haven't_ seen her eat anything lately . . . **runs off in a random direction**_

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**Chapter Two–**

**Navigating Central**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Small puffs of dust swirled around her bare feet as Harmony wandered down yet another alley. The narrow space between the two tall buildings proved to be much cleaner than Harmony thought it would be. Still her amethyst eyes stayed alert and her body remained tense, ready to make good use of her swift legs if the need ever arose.

"Little girl," an amused, feminine voice addressed from somewhere above her. Harmony froze in her tracks, her searching gaze snapping up automatically only to find nothing but sky criss-crossed with a few clotheslines. Confused, the young woman returned her violet eyes to the cobbled street in front of her. It never occurred to her to look _behind_ her (like every mindless idiot in those horror movies). Therefore, she was not prepared for the sudden, swift blow to the back of her skull. She instantly crumpled to the ground, seeing stars. With an instinctive growl, she swirled around from her spot on the concrete. Adrenaline pumped through her system, but instantly died the second she caught sight of the violet eyes and green hair of an all-too-familiar face.

_'Ah, hell . . . .'_ she cursed in her mind. She really had hoped that she wouldn't have to run into _him_ of all people. At least, not _this_ quickly. . . .

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Envy sneered at the fallen girl, a sadistic grin growing on his face. He focused on the young woman's eyes–identical to his own (minus the insane gleam, of course). "You're not human, are you?" Although the girl tried to keep her calm, he easily noticed the guilty expression that passed over her face seconds before it disappeared.

"What makes you say that?" Harmony forced out the question, trying to sound nonchalant. Unfortunately, she forgot that Envy's question would send the average person into possible hysterics. . . .

"You sound awfully calm. A _normal _girl would have found that question odd at the very least," Envy pointed out, stressing the word "normal". His eyes narrowed and his pale lips quirked up in a victory smirk at the stranger's paling features. A second later had him blinking in surprise as she suddenly vanished from his sight. Hurried footsteps from the opening to the alleyway had him looking behind him. And there she was running away. "Hey!" he screeched in irritation, giving chase.

"See ya later, palm-tree!" she shouted back at him with a wicked grin on her face. Her violet, slit-pupiled eyes twinkled in amusement at the pissed-off look she had earned with that nickname. Her enjoyment, however, was short-lived when she noticed how quickly he was gaining on her. _'Damn! This guy can run!'_ She pumped her legs to go faster . . . .

* * *

**.::Roughly half an hour to an hour later::.**

She was breathing heavily–more like gasping for sweet oxygen. Her hands clutched her knees, knuckles turning white as she tried to keep them from buckling. Her heart raced much too fast in her chest, slamming against her ribcage in protest for pushing it too far. A few beads of sweat plastered her black bangs to her forehead. More of it ran down her face and between her breasts. She had long ago discarded the black trenchcoat. Somewhere between jumping a tomato cart and crashing through a restaurant. Envy had managed to grab hold of the end at one point in the chase. She had panicked and had simply taken it off before he could yank her back to his waiting arms.

"Damn. . .steroid-induced. . .homunculus," she spat out between breaths, laughing as she realized what she had said.

She dropped to the ground, her body no longer able to hold her up. She grimaced at her weakness, but shrugged her shoulders. It was to be expected after outrunning a homunculus.

"And outsmarting him," she breathed, glancing up at the blue expanse of sky. She was in the middle of yet another alley. She had absolutely no clue if this was the same one she had started off in or if it was another one on the opposite side of the city. Her sense of direction was lousy at best. However, she _was_ pretty sure she and Envy had run all over the damn place. "Hm, let's try _this_ way," she said out loud, pointing a finger in a random direction. She got up, dusted herself off, and started walking. The image of a stately, proud building (how can a building be proud, anyway?) ingrained itself in her mind. She recalled seeing it somewhere on her run. That was around the time she had lost her green-haired pursuer, so she hadn't put too much distance between her and it.

It didn't take her five minutes before she saw it. The elegant and grand building rose above all the others in the area. It's walls were pure white and the green flags hanging from various spots all sported an image of a white dragon. Men and women alike marched across the grounds in front of the building while the building itself (and the area it was in) was enclosed with an iron gate. Fortunately for her, the gate doors were wide open and inviting.

Well, the doors may have been inviting but the atmosphere certainly wasn't.

Harmony wrinkled her nose in distaste at the military establishment. Everyone wore blue uniforms lined with gold/yellow trim. Everyone walked in the standard march, with their backs upright and arms straight down at their sides (unless they were holding a gun). And everyone wore an expression that said "I'm a soldier so back off!".

Of course, not everyone was Harmony. She huffed in displeasure. Her posture, too, was upright, but more relaxed and elegant. Her eyes glittered dangerously as she took in the pristine grounds of the militia, taking note of how not one of these so-called soldiers was training diligently to keep their skills up to par. Her gait was loose and carefree, but could change in half a second into a defensive crouch or spring into an offensive pounce. These people, in her opinion, were weak, at least when compared to her. Being raised in a military household back home, she knew that she was currently the deadliest person on this base. She was the most dangerous.

"Excuse me, miss, but this is a military base. Only military personnel allowed inside," a soldier with buffed muscles stopped her at the gate.

Harmony restrained from rolling her eyes, and kept herself from commenting about the wide-open gate. Instead, she kept her smile kind and her eyes alluring. "I am just here to visit my uncle. He isn't aware I'm coming. It's a surprise," she fibbed (okay, outright _lied_) while trying to act cute. Her unbound hair (having fallen loose during her run from Envy) fell around her heart-shaped face and flowed down to her waist. She blinked slowly when she noticed that his eyes weren't focusing on her face or her hair, but rather _lower_. Biting back a growl as the guy's eyes roamed over the low-sweeping neckline of her black tank, Harmony crossed her arms over her chest in an effort to hide as much as possible from this perverted jerk. "Well?" she questioned a bit impatiently, a tic forming at her temple.

"Oh, right! Well, of course! Surprises are surprises, right? Go on in," he offered, stepping aside to let the girl through. No doubt he didn't believe a cute and innocent girl could cause too much trouble.

Oh, how naive . . . .

Harmony felt his eyes burning holes in her back and tried not to turn around and smack him for good measure. She managed to keep herself in check as she headed into military headquarters. Her violet eyes widened as she stepped through the doors. She had to bite back a gasp of awe at the beauty around her. It was simple but in no way plain. Everything was snow-white, exhibiting an innocence that should not be on a military base. A few splashes of color (usually either green or blue) caught her eye here and there. The area inside was expansive–large enough to house a hundred people easy.

As she looked around, Harmony's odd eyes fell upon what looked to be a reception desk. An unfamiliar woman sat behind the cherry wood with a plant at her side. She hid a giggle behind her hand as she instantly identified the plant.

It was a palm tree.

Funny how things kept turning up. . . .

The girl went up to the woman at the desk, trying to play up her childish appearance to the utmost degree. She usually had better luck with the female gender when she used that particular trait of hers.

"Excuse me," Harmony interjected softly into the conversation the woman was having with a good friend of hers. Her gentle voice caught the woman's attention and her hard face softened.

"Yes? How may I help you?" the secretary questioned kindly.

"Would you happen to know where I can find the Fuhrer, King Bradley?" Harmony asked as politely and as innocently as she could. However, she still got a shocked, bug-eyed look in return.

"The Fuhrer? Why?" the woman asked, shocked.

Good, she didn't suspect anything. She was just surprised that an innocent girl had asked to see the president.

"He's my uncle on my father's side. A few _family matters_ came up and I'm here to discuss some things with him. He told me to drop by if I ever needed to, so he isn't quite expecting me," Harmony explained. She could start to see suspicion entering the brown eyes of the woman she spoke to so she quickly added, "But if you tell him that his _Pride_ is here, then I'm sure he'll verify my identity." The word "pride" was stressed, and she made certain that was what the message was to say _exactly_. Harmony watched as the woman walked off in a random direction, probably to take her advice and verify who she was with the Fuhrer.

Harmony let out a sigh, hoping against hope that her ploy would work. It should rouse the Fuhrer's interest to learn that someone may know his secret.

A few minutes passed by, with Harmony simply glancing around the place, before she came back.

"You may go see him," she affirmed with a gentle smile on her face. Since her story proved true, the secretary seemed to have taken a liking to Harmony. "He's the last door on the left just down the hall there," she directed, pointing to an arched hallway with the words "Main Wing" etched into the doorframe above.

Harmony nodded, thanked the woman, and headed off in that direction. The journey to the Fuhrer's office was short and rather-boring. The only thing of interest was that: for being the head of an entire country, this man wasn't very heavily-guarded at all. Of course, she knew the reason _why_, but she would like to think that there were others who would wonder why this was, as well.

Finally reaching the last door on the left like the secretary had said, Harmony placed her hand on the knob. Taking a deep breath, she turned it and pushed the heavy door inward. Trying to display the confidence she no longer felt, the girl strode into the room. For a brief moment, she glanced around, admiring the more-plush surroundings of this office. A couch, coffee table, and comfy-looking armchair stood in the middle of the room. A fireplace–currently-devoid of fire–was positioned nearby. Moving her eyes to the other side of the room, she spotted two desks. Paperwork piled up on both. Only one, however, was occupied. It was the one that stood against the wall and under a banner that had a green background with a white dragon. Her eyes lowered to look directly into the eyes (or eye, in this case) of the Fuhrer, himself.

"So, you are my niece?" he inquired with a kind smile, though his voice was cold. "I wasn't aware I had one. Tell me, what is it that you want, girl?" He remained sitting at his desk, hands folded discreetly on the desk in front of him. His eye calmly regarded Harmony as she stood stock-still before him. He cocked an eyebrow curiously when the girl suddenly gave him a bright smile.

"Freedom."


End file.
